Safe 2 Say
Dear Wildcat Families:
As a school system, The Northwestern School District is committed to creating and sustaining a comprehensive, coordinated effort to improve the overall safety and well-being of our students, educators and administrators.
To do this, we believe this must involve community-wide programs and initiatives involving parents, teachers, administrators, local law enforcement, mental health & wellness professionals and elected officials to take meaningful action to protect our students.
Today, I am happy to announce the launch of the “Safe2Say Something” (S2SS) anonymous reporting system. This program, which is mandated under PA state law / Act 44, teaches students, teachers, and administrators how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and Say Something to a trusted adult OR use its anonymous reporting system. Specifically, the program educates participants to:
Recognize the signs and signals of at-risk behaviors – especially within social media
Take every sign and signal seriously; act quickly to get help by talking to a trusted adult OR
Respond to and manage the submitted tip via school-based multi-disciplinary educator and administrator teams
Our students are often aware of the problems that their peers are facing, so we must empower them to know the danger signs and give them the tools to help each other with the assistance of trained and caring adults. As you know, most conversations are taking place on social media, therefore it is critical that we teach our students to be looking out for one another as these digital conversations are taking place. S2SS teaches them what to look for in text, video and photos while empowering them to act quickly to help a fellow student.
The S2SS program is being provided through Sandy Hook Promise (SHP), a nation-wide non-profit organization. SHP’s programs are in 50 states – with 10,000+ schools and over 5.5 million students and adults trained. They have a track record, reputation, and knowledge of how to work effectively with kids, parents, and teachers to improve school safety and culture. The program is age-appropriate and research-based. They also have funding to provide and sustain the program at NO COST to our school (and all schools statewide).
In the very near future, the Northwestern School District S2SS lead team will be training our students in grades 5 through 12. Once this training is complete, we hope that the S2SS reporting system will be another tool that we, as a school district, can use to keep your children safer!
We anticipate that S2SS will help positively impact incidents of school violence, suicides, and gun threats; it will help reduce bullying and cyberbullying; help intervene upon cutting, drug use, racial conflicts, and other violent acts.
If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call or email our lead team directly. Our current lead team for the S2SS program is comprised of our lead, Mr. Rich Harvey, Principal - Springfield Elementary, Deputy Chesko, School Resource Officer, Mrs. Costello, Curriculum Director, and me, John Hansen, the School Superintendent.
Sincerely,
John B. Hansen, Superintendent